Chapter 5 #4
Skye snickered. “Well, that was interesting.” Still with Tank held close, she offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Skye Fairchild.”
Paul did a double take. “Twins?”
“Yes. I think we took my sister, Laylee, by surprise.”
Knox continued staring at where Laylee had disappeared. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Ford noticed that he didn’t say twin. He’d bet money that Knox, like him, saw the uniqueness of each woman. “As you can see by the destruction, we’ve had our hands full with the dogs.”
Leaning close, Skye whispered, “They’re giving my sister fits.”
Knox got himself together. “I just finished a big roofing job, so I finally have a little time to measure your yard for a fence. Maybe that’ll help. Paul’s going to lend a hand. He was in construction with me until he bailed to be a dog walker.”
Ford jerked around and met Skye’s alert gaze. Together they asked, “Dog walker?” with a lot of hope.
“Much more fun than sweating balls on a roof.” Paul gave Tank a couple of friendly scratches, then moved on to Maybelline. “And who is this beautiful girl?”
Maybelline put her face up for some love, and Paul, bless him, bent to deliver, even kissing her on her knobby head.
“Yes, you’re a sweetheart, aren’t you? Look at those expressive eyes.
Yes, baby. Such a good dog.” When Maybelline delivered a wet lick to Paul’s head, he only laughed and used a shoulder to swipe his face.
“When Knox said you got a dog, I didn’t expect a dog like this. She’s adorable.”
Adorable. Seeing a solution to their problem, Ford grabbed Paul into a giant bear hug.
“What the hell?” Knox said. “I didn’t even get a hello.”
“You,” Ford replied, while still smothering Paul, “were busy drooling after Laylee.”
Paul finally freed himself. “I’m getting all this love . . . why?”
“You’re just what I need.”
Knox, still keeping an eye on the hall where Laylee had fled, chimed in. “Sorry, Ford, you missed your chance. Paul is now in a committed relationship.”
“Not that you aren’t a great guy.” Giving Ford a thwack on the shoulder, Paul grinned. “A little pretty for my tastes, but still.” He confided to Skye, “Joking aside though, Ford is a solid guy despite his devastating handsomeness.”
“He is gorgeous, isn’t he?”
Paul sighed. “Yes, but he’s also a hard worker with a great job, and he’s funny even when he doesn’t mean to be.” He winked at Skye. “Best of all, whenever I’ve needed something, he’s there.”
“Same,” Knox said. “I like to give him crap, but he’s a catch.”
Ford sputtered. The compliments from Paul didn’t bother him, but from Knox, he kept waiting for a punchline.
When none came, he put his arm over Paul’s shoulders. “He knows men far better than Knox, so you can take his word for it.”
“I already know all about Ford’s great qualities.” Expression soft and full of emotion, Skye said, “That’s why I’m already half in love with him.”
Taken by surprise, Ford opened his mouth but no words emerged. She wasn’t the first woman to say such a thing to him, but she was the first who really mattered to him, and this was the first time he wanted it to be true.
And she’d made that statement with two of his friends standing there, rather than in a private moment. Deliberate timing on her part? Was she nervous about his reaction?
Paul nudged him hard. “Now is when you speak.”
He sucked in an audible breath, then shouted, “Laylee.”
She yelled back, “What?”
Without taking his gaze from Skye, he announced, “Your sister and I are going to my house for five minutes. You have to come out and play hostess.”
She screeched, which had Knox grinning.
To Paul, he said, “Don’t go anywhere. Seriously. We need to talk.”
“I’ll just entertain the dogs until you return.” He took Tank from Skye and shooed the two of them away.
Grabbing Skye’s hand, Ford hurried her out the kitchen door to the backyard, then over to his patio. She hadn’t yet said she loved him, only that she was halfway there. He’d do his utmost to tip her over the line.
“Ford,” she laughingly complained, practically running to keep up.
Under the awning, away from prying eyes, he turned her, pressed her to the door, and took her mouth in a kiss meant to convey everything he felt, including things he had no experience articulating.
“Mmm,” she murmured, and as soon as he let up, she said, “I know none of this was in your plan.”
“It was your plan. But let’s forget it.” He kissed her again. Left uninterrupted, he could have gone on kissing her all day. All week.
A lifetime would suit him.
She gently pressed him away. “Does this mean you don’t mind?”
“That you’re falling for me? No, I don’t mind because I’m doing the same.”
“Loving yourself?” Far too seriously, she said, “You should, you know. Everything Paul said is true. For a hundred different reasons, you’re an incredible person.”
Bemused, he shook his head. “I meant that I feel the same about you. I like how things are going—added emotion and all.”
“You’re sure?”
How could she not know how special she was? “It’s my fault that you aren’t already certain. I was trying not to rush you, but if you recall, you were upfront about not wanting anything to do with a romantic relationship.”
Her grin went crooked. “Sounds like it’s my fault, not yours. And you’re right. I was adamant—until I saw you with Maybelline. Or maybe it was before that, when you were amused by Laylee instead of panting after her.”
Laylee was sweet, but she wasn’t for him. “Knox is panting, FYI.”
“I noticed. I hope Laylee gives him a chance.”
Watching her closely to gauge her reaction, he said, “I love how you are with Maybelline. How you are with everyone, including me.”
She ducked her face, but only for a moment. Then she stepped against him and squeezed him tight. “This little chat has been enlightening.”
“Hasn’t it?” He was rather pleased with how things were going, too.
He wanted to talk to her more, to explain .
. . everything. How much he cared. That he was in it for the long haul.
He wanted to promise her so many things, but they had people waiting for them.
“Should we get back over there before your sister scares off Knox and Paul?”
“Yes.” With new excitement, she said, “We need to convince Paul to be our dog walker. That would be a huge help, right?”
“He’s exactly what we need.” With Paul’s assistance, maybe Ford would finally have everything, including time enough to prove to Skye how good they were together.
Taking his hand, Skye started them back across the lawns. “The fence will be great, too.” She peeked up at him. “Maybe if Laylee can just let the dogs into the yard, they’ll be less destructive.”
“We can hope.”
They both laughed, and that was the best thing about Skye. She was undoubtedly tired, her house was a mess, but she still embraced life, and the dogs....
And him.
They’d made a lot of progress today. Soon, they’d have it all worked out.